Garage-door mechanism



Aug. 26, 1930. E. E. GUSTAVSON 1,774,434

GARAGE noon uacm'mlsu rum Dec. 5, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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. M ATTORNEY.

Au 26, 1930. E. E. GUSTAVSON 1,774,434

GARAGE DOOR IECHAHISI Filed. Dec. 5, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 59 E1 35 a 35 r, A

INVENTOR wvmw r: I z 2 2 #4 ATTORNEY.

,5 under date of June 28, 1926,, Serial No. The rocking of the shaft 8 is accomplished 55 Fig. 6 is a similar view with the spring ed a pair of arms 24c and 25,11nited bya coiled 75 The reference number 1 indicates a porforces the plate 22 toward the other side of so I tions 6, the ends of which are pivoted to so that as the arm 25 moves downwardlythe so i a" little above the same, 'andsecured to said of the arm 25, and the action of the spring Patented 7 Aug. 26, 1930 r 1,774,484. l

Fries ERIK E. GUSTAVSON, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS UNITE GARAGE-DOOR MECHANISM gipplication filed December 5, 1927. Serial No. 237,692.

My invention has reference to a garage at right angles to the building, as shown in 7 door mechanism, and is similar in character Fig. 3, and the rocking of the shaft in the r to the mechanism for which I filed an app'liopposite direction returns the doors to their cation for letters patent of the United States former closed position.

118,999. In the present device it is the purby means of mechanism at one side ofthe pose to operate the doors of a garage endoors, comprising a: frame 15 supported on tirely from the outside of the building, so the inner face of the building, at about the thatin case oi entering or leaving the buildheight of the upper part of the doors. Ver- 10 ing it will not be necessary for the occupant tically slidable in said frame is a draw-bar of'the vehicle to get out of same. This is 16, and pivoted to the upper end of said 1 ofspecial'advanta 'ein case of a storm. The draw-bar is an arm 17, having a pivotal condeviee is of comparatively simple form, and nection with the frame 15, as at 0. Pivoted is efiective in its operation. I to the arm 17 at (Z is plunger 18, the lower 1 V In the'drawings V I end of which is slidable in an opening in the" F ig, 1 is a plan view of the apparatus, lookframe 15, and the upper end is slidable in a ing on the tops 01"- a pair of doors in open poguide 19 on the supportlO. On said bar is a sition. I compression spring 20, the force of which Fig; 2 is aside elevation of the operating" when compressed tends to force the plunger 20 mechanism, in detail. V V 18 and bar-'16 upwardly. Fixed to the bar 16 Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. is a cam-plate 21, above which is pivoted a F ig. 4 is a side elevation ofthe operating plate 22, oi less width than the cam 21. Fixed mechanisrn'in position with the doors closed. to the rock-shaft 8 above said plate is a cross- Fig. 5 is a similar view with the doors open. arm 28, from the ends of which are suspend- 20 released, and the position of the parts spring 26, and adapted for alternative enchanged toagain close the doors. gagement with the cam 21.. 1

Fig. 7 is an elevation with the parts shown lVhen the bar 16 is drawn downwardly as in the reverse from that shown in Fig. 4. in Fig. 4, with the doorsclosed, the arm 2% tion of the front wall of a garage or similar the bar, permitting the engagement of the building, having an opening which is I101 end of the arm-24 with the cam-plate '21, mally closed by a pair of doors-2 and 3, and upon the bar being forced upwardly by hingedat the sides of the opening, as at 61,] the spring 20 the cross-arm 23 is rockedinto 35 so as to swing outwardly away from each the position shown in Fig. 5, also rocking the ea 7 other. At a .centralpoint bove the 10 shaft 8, and opening the doors. The rockopening is secured a bracket. 4, to which is ing of the plate'22 above mentioned serves pivoted a pair of folding braces consisting t b i th rear edge thereotinto a posi- Of ilelatively g a 5 and Short tion which is flush with that of the plate 21,

' brackets 7 ,secured to the inner faces of the d th f 111 li v h j int between doors. A shaft. 8 is rockingly mounted in they plates'21 and 22, and pass a little ways the ends of supports 9 and 10 fiXed t0 t below the same. When the bar 16 is moved building onthe inside of the doors, at points downwardly again the plate 21 passes the end S f is a frame 1 he ends w h are 26 causes said arm to force the plate 22 for fpivotally connected by links 12 with lugs 13 'wardly, providing lodgment' for the end of """on the arms 5,"midwa ythe ends thereof. .the arm on the plate 22, as 5; When Upon the shaft being rocked in one direction thebar 16 moves upwardly again, impelled the doors are moved outwardly to a position bythelforce of thespring 20,-the cross-arm 1 tended, and the parts in position at the end of the upward movement.

It will be observed that by the operations hereinbefore last described the arms 24 and 25 are alternately engaged by the plate 21, for the purpose of first opening the doors and r then closing them. To carry out these operations the bar 16 18 connected by a rod 30 with a. bell-crank lever 31 fulcrumed on a bracket 32 secured to the wall 1. To the other end of said lever is attached a bar 323, projected outwardly through an opening in the wall of the building, and provided at its outer end with a rack 34 for operation by a segment gear pinion 35 on one end of a treadle 3G, pivoted in bearings 37. The treadle is in the line of travel of the wheels on one side of an automobile passing into or out of the garage, said wheels, together with the weight of the vehicle, serving to turn the treadle downwardly and impart movement to the bar 33. IVhen this movement is such as to turn the treadle downwardly in the direction of the building the lever 31is rocked in a direction to draw the bar 16 downwardly, storing power in the spring 20 and connecting said her up with one or other of the arms 24 and In case the treadle is moved in the other direction the rocking of the lever 31 has no effect upon the bar 16, a slack movement at the end of the rod 30 being permitted by a series of links therein at 42. passed over the treadle such treadle is returned to an elevated. position by means of a coiled spring 39, connecting the upper end of a post 38 on one of the bearings 37 with a lug 40 on the pinion Assuming the vehicle to be in the garage,

the doors 3 and 4 are first opened by hand, and the vehicle backed out in the usual manner, until the front wheel has passed over the treadle 36. The car is then moved toward the garage again, the downward movenaent of the treadle compressing the spring 20 and setting the parts for closing the doors. Thls operation 1s delayed, however, by devices hereinafter referred to,

in moving outwardly again. When the vehicle approaches the doors from the out side one of the front wheels passes over the treadle, again setting the mechanism for. op-

eration to open the doors, and the vehicle.

is then backed up until the wheel operates the treadle again, which enables said mechanism to operate for opening the doors.

The means for delaying the action of the spring 20 consists in a latch 43, pivoted to After the wheel hasv released.

and actuated by I the vehicle when it passes over he treadle an arm 44 on the cross-arm 23, and slidable on a catch 45 on the plate 10. The latch is provided at each end with a shoulder for alternate engagement with the catch 45, by which means not only the latch is held from movement, but also the cross-arm 23 and door operating devices. In Fig. 4 the latch is shown in locked position with the doors closed, and interfering with the upward movement of the bar 16. In Fig. 5 the other end of the latch is shown engaged with the catch 45, and the parts locked from movement with the doors in open position. The latch 43 is held yieldably in engagement with the catch by means of a coiled spring 46, con necting said latch with the frame 15. The

support 10 is provided with a lug 47, (Fig. 2) on which is pivoted a trigger 48, engaging the lower face of the latch 43, connected by a cable 49 and link 50 with an arm 51 on the lever 31. When said lever is rocked in a direction to draw the bar 16 downwardly the cable is slack, with no effect on the latch mechanism, but upon the lever being rocked in the opposite direction the trigger 48 is actuated, raising the latch 48 and disengaging it-from the catch. This movement is the result of the treadle being turned downwardly away from the buildin After entering the garage with a vehicle the doors may be closed by hand, and the same method is employed for opening the same, before driving the vehicle out. In case the spring 20 is under tension when the doors are to be opened from the inside, such tension can be released by means of a hand-lever 52, pivoted to the bar 16, and engageable with the. stops 27 and 28. If the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4, the lever 52 is forced toward the building, moving the plate 22 in the same direction, and disengaging the arm 24. The latch 43 is then released by pulling the cord 49, and the doors are free to be moved outwardly. In the same manner if the doors are open, with the parts under tension as shown in Fig, 5, the plate 22 can be swung rearwardly by means of the hand-lever, disengaging the arm 25, and permitting the doors to be opened as soon as the latch 43 is The hand-lever is indicated only in Fig. 4.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1.. In a garage door mechanism, a rockshaft control device consisting of a draw-bar and tension devicesfor the operation thereof, double-acting cam devices on said bar, a cross-arm on said rock-shaft, and arms on the ends of said rock-shaft capableof alternative engagement with the cam devices to impartthe movement of the draw-bar to said rock-shaft.

2. In a garage door mechanism, a rockshaft control devicev consisting of'a draw-bar and tension devices therefor, double acting cam devices on said bar, a rock-shaft and cross-arm thereon, cam engaging devices on the ends of said cross-arm, for alternative engagement with said cam devices, a'double acting latch mechanism for holding said rock-shaft at the end of each of'its move ments, means for actuating said draw-bar and tension devices to store power therein,

and means for releasing said latch mechanism.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ERIK E. GUSTAVSON. 

